Why Choose a Bed and Breakfast?
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B&B or Bed and Breakfast
Usually a private home where the owner has made renovations and improvements to provide overnight accommodations and breakfast in the morning.
Another word could be homestay. paradors, pensions, gasthaus, minskukus, shukukos and pousados
Personally I find the local B&B to be more personal than a motel or hotel and different than an Inn. Inns often include the cost of breakfast in their prices, and typically have more rooms and other services available, so you loose some of the personal touch. I find the owners of a B&B are often very friendly, open and honest people working to make a living at something they enjoy doing, and this gives the traveler a feeling of "home away from home".
- The Story of a Bed and Breakfast in France
The story of our Bed and Breakfast, Videix, Limousin France. How we renovated our farmhouse in Haute-Vienne, and created a gite in rural France. Just ten minutes from the medieval town of Rochechouart, half way between Limoges and Angouleme, and near
What is the History of the Bed and Breakfast
The whole concept of a B&B can be dated back as far as forever.
Think about the travel that is available today. We can travel the entire world in a day. But if you had to travel by horse or boat everywhere you went, traveling any substantial distance would require fortitude and a great deal of time and planning.
Traveling before steam, oil and gas was not something lightly entered into. Gathering for Christmas almost always required overnight accommodations just to get there. And that's only if you lived in the neighboring county.
An abby or a monastery often provided that very thing for many a weary traveler. The concept is certainly not a new one. From reading any of our history and most of the journals that have been preserved, you will find this was an informal type of arrangement and not the business it has become today.
Bed and Breakfast Inns Will Host your Wedding
- Elmwood Heritage Inn (Charlottetown, PE)
Hidden up a majestic elm lined drive, on a secluded park-like acre is the romantic Elmwood Heritage Inn Bed & Breakfast in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
- Nelson House B & B (Vancouver, BC)
The Nelson House Bed & Breakfast is Vancouver's downtown B&B only 6 blocks from Stanley Park and the beach, 2 blocks to Robson Street shopping, restaurants & transit connections, and only 3 blocks from Davie Street gay/lesbian village.
- Briarcliffe Inn (Bedeque, PE)
Briarcliffe Inn Bed & Breakfast in Prince Edward Island is the perfect spot for those looking for a little solitude.
Something a little more Gothic
- The Lizzie Borden Murders
"Lizzie Borden took an ax And gave her mother forty whacks And when she saw what she had done She gave her father forty-one" The story of Lizzie Borden is one of the most horrific in our time. Her father...
Why Use a B&B instead of an Inn, motel or hotel
Many enterprising entrepreneurs are looking to bring that special something to their B&B establishment and offer some ingenious ideas. Hosting your wedding at one of these inns has increased in popularity over the past few years. So much so that booking them many months in advance is generally required.
While staying at a B&B has often been considered a working man's vacation and many such establishments can be found in lakefront properties. The entrepreneurial spirit, opportunity and some great marketing schemes have made the B&B an affordable and attractive alternative to local hotels and Inns and the associations created for these have gone a long way to establish these lodgings with a higher profile.
In many cases you can find history rich B&B’s in your own neck of the woods. Many historical homes have been converted into lovely accommodation providing comfort for the road weary.
If you have an eye for a mystery and are looking for an opportunity to spend some time together with friends, you can sometimes find a local B&B that provides a murder mystery dinner for your entertainment. Those are quite fun as long as everyone you take with you is interested in the "fun" part.
Many owners offer something unique to attract the business. In recent years while researching our own backyard for an interesting weekend getaway with my sisters I have found B&B's that offer incentives such as:
- Tickets to their local live theater
- A Casino package
- Weekend on the lake (boat house B&B)
- A history or art tour
- Horse back riding and tours
- Wine tours
- Back packing and hiking opportunities
- Spa packages
- Murder mystery weekends - complete with costumes
- Cooking classes
- Bridal Receptions
There are some who cater to romance and offer a secluded and romantic dinner for two, a buggy ride with champagne through the park and breakfast in bed.
Read the adventures of pharmacis
- Traveling Coast to Coast: Bed and Breakfast Style!
Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car ~E.B. White, One Man's Meat, 1943 I enjoy driving. For me, flying just means paying money to move at 400 mph and 35 thousand feet...
B&B for business
If you are traveling for business, and you have an extended stay, why not consider the option of a local B&B? There are many who provide kitchen facilities, and a sitting room with an entertainment center in addition to the bed and bath. These are especially noteworthy in smaller communities where amenities are not as plentiful. And depending on your hosts, you just might get the inside scoop on the people you are there to do business with.
Traveling for business often means a day or two away from home, so the convenience of the Inn or hotel is often preferred. But if your stay is a week or more, staying at this type of B&B, at least in my opinion, offers more of the comforts of home. Like shopping for your favorite comfort food and preparing your own dinner. Sitting down to watch the news or listening to your favorite radio station while reading a chapter or two of a good book.
Personal Choice
We have a group of six ladies who have made it a habit to get away for a weekend to relax and enjoy each others company. It hardly ever works out that all six of us can get away at the same time, but we work hard to make that happen.
For us, our preference is to find the type of B&B that offers the kitchen, a living room and two or three bedrooms. We can in fact end up renting the entire place for the weekend. We like to find places a little out of the ordinary and generally just relax, play games, go for walks and take in the local history. I highly recommend that you take this route at least once in place of the next scheduled "girls night out".
Copyright
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Hey Dohn, thanks for your perspective. Always eager to help the local economy, and I like the concept of helping the "little guy" whenever possible.
love the comments about B&Bs, they are so much better than motels.
I had the privilege of staying in a couple of B & B establishments on the east coast. One in Nags-head, NC and the other in Virginia. Both were quite charming and an experience I will never forget. When and if I ever have the opportunity to indulge again (vs. staying at the Best Western!) I will definitely feel a queen!
Rebecca and Catlyn, thanks for stopping by. Had a few experiences with them myself and agree, they are so much better than the Best Western :)
Hey, Duchess, I really liked this hub, both the subject and your method of treating it. There's a B&B on Roanoke Island in Virginia in the US, that has a mystery dinner. When this island was first settled, all the settlers (about a hundred people) just disappeared one day. It's a mystery to this day--no one knows what happened. The word "Roanoke" was carved on a tree, and nobody knows what that word means, either. It's on my bucket list!
Paradise, hi . Roanoke Island now there's a piece of information I don't know if I would have ever learned on my own. How fascinating. Sounds like a worthy item to be on your bucket list. If you ever do get there, I'd sure love to read all about it.
B&Bs are only now becoming popular in India - at least one has started hearing about them and seeing their ads since a few years. I've never stayed in one, but your hub has aroused an interest, and I will be looking out for one on the next holiday.
Hi Jaspal, I hope you do. It's good for the local business person running it, it affords a different perspective for the traveler and you can find some pretty interesting offers from the B&B owners.
I'd be interested in hearing about your B&B adventure if you ever get there.
I've stayed in many B&Bs in the US, and each has been an extraordinarily memorable experience, most unlike that in any inn or hotel or motel. The B&B owners put their entire selves into what they do. Their goal is, of course, business-oriented, but they choose this as a business for at least one reason which is, they genuinely love engaging with people.
B&Bs are not for those who don't want to engage or socialize on at least a semi-personal level. B&B owners are absolutely respectful of privacy (as all inn-keepers are, around the world), but they can also bring you into their lives in subtle ways.
One owner helped my mother with a medical problem by contacting his own physician; another placed me and my daughter, at breakfast, with a couple he thought we'd like (when we would rather have been alone). Turns out that the inn-keeper was right-on in his assessment, and the couple and my daughter and I had a wonderful time together.
There's a person-to-person engagement there at a B&B that you will find nowhere else.
Wonderful Hub. Thumbs up!
Sally, thanks so much for adding your perspective. I'm impressed with your experiences and I agree that this is not for everyone. However, for those who enjoy socializing it is great. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your stories with us.
I and my partner run a B&B in Blackpool UK which is Englands premier holiday resort.
Although the work is seasonal particularly in this Country is must never be underestimated how much hard work it is.
Running a B&B is a business and has to be approached as such to many people enter it without thinking through their business plan or how much effort they need to put in to make it all work.
We are successful purely because I have a good understanding of the internet and know how to get the best from it as an advertsing medium.
I always wondered what a B&B was. Now I know what it stands for, might try one out soon. I like the idea of a family house with homemade breakfast! :)
They are a great way to travel. Especially if you like to make new friends.
This is a very interesting Hub. B&Bs in the United Kingdom can be at the 'budget' end of accomodation, but can be very luxurious.
Pat has stayed in some B&Bs in the US and Canada, and these have always been rather more sophisticated than the UK version. Some have been very lavishly furnished, others the food has been quite special. The UK version is usually cheaper!
In Canada we have B&B's and then we have B&B's! some are fantastic, some are ok. We also have Inns which offer Breakfast in the cost of the room rental. They are typically a little higher up on the co$t scale, but very nice.
Never been to the UK. Thanks for the input.
Some good B&B information. I always like the unexpected element when you go to a guest house. So many hotels are exactly the same the world over. Many thanks for adding a link from Les Trois Chenes.
Oh, you are most welcome. Sorry for the delay. This was a moving weekend.
I'm with you - I like the unexpected little surprises too. Makes a trip interesting.
dohn121 Level 3 Commenter 2 years ago
Bed and Breakfasts are certainly much more romantic than a motel or hotel. In addition, B & B's are usually independently own and so clients would consequently contribute to the local economy. Thank you, Duchess.